Secret
by SKLewis
Summary: Nora has a secret she doesn't want to tell Miles
1. Chapter 1

Nora was sick again. It was getting harder to hide from Miles, but especially from Charlie, with whom she shared quarters. The girl wasn't an idiot after all.

In fact, Charlie was sitting in their room now, probably staring at the closed bathroom door. Sitting on the floor, Nora leaned against the door, glad Charlie couldn't see through it. She was positive now. Her period was way too late, she was always sick.

She didn't want to say anything to Miles yet. Nora was sure he wouldn't want a baby. But then, this new Miles seemed to want to do the right thing, particularly when it came to family. She'd never seen him care like he did for Charlie, though he'd never admit it.

Rachel complicated things. A lot. Nora could see it was clear Miles still care for her, maybe even loved her.

There was a knock on the door, interrupting her racing thoughts. Charlie slipped in.

Nora held up a hand to stop her before she could even open her mouth. "I'm not going to the doctor."

"Wasn't going to ask you to. That's your business. I _was_ going to tell you that Miles is getting worried about you and he's not an idiot anymore then I am." she paused. "Also, he's pretty good at getting people to go to the doctors when they don't want to."

"Say one more word and I know twelve different ways to kill you without even leaving this room." Nora warned.

Charlie shrugged. "Just saying you're not hiding it as well as you think."

"Hiding what?" she snapped.

"You know what."

"You say anything to Miles, remember what I said."

"He thinks you're just sick."

"And you?" Nora's eyes narrowed.

"I think you're probably pregnant." Charlie stated, matter of fact.

"You're what? A doctor now?"

"Do I need to be? Doesn't take much of a genius."

Nora couldn't think of anything to say to that.

"You okay?" Miles asked, worry in his eyes. He'd finally caught up with Nora later that morning and didn't like how unwell she looked.

"I'm fine." she tried to brush past him, but he grabbed her arm.

"You've been sick again."

"I'm fine."

"I want you see one of the doctors."

"No." she tried to leave again.

"Nora, please. Something is wrong. I don't like seeing you sick all the time.

"So don't look." she pulled from his grasp and headed outside.

Miles watched her go, unwilling to give up but not sure what to do or say about it.

"You know what I think?" Charlie joined him in the hall.

"It's none of your business."

"I think you need to go after her." she continued, undeterred.

"Really? I'm suppose to take advice from you now?"

"I don't care if you do, but Nora might.

Much as he hated to admit it, he knew Rachel was probably right. He followed Nora outside. "Nora!"

She ignored him and kept going.

"You know I'll just keep following you around." he caught up to her.

"Because you're stubborn and don't take no for an answer."

"Neither do you." he retorted. "Hey." he looked her in the eye. "Nora, tell me what's wrong. You're sick all the time, you won't talk to me. I just want to know what's going on.:

She sighed. The time had come, she knew, to face to music and tell Miles the truth. "Not here. Let's go somewhere more private." The courtyard they were standing in was full of soldiers.

Miles nodded, silent in his agreement, although he was more then a little confused.

She led him to his own quarters, figuring that would be best since she had no real idea how he'd react.

Nora settled herself into the lone chair in his room. It wasn't a very comfortable chair but she didn't feel right sitting on the bed. Her mind was racing, she didn't know how to start the conversation.

Miles had remained standing, arms crossed. It was almost as though he was getting ready to lecture a disobedient child, a thought that Nora found hilarious but was trying hard not to laugh at.

He looked at her expectantly. They'd been acting a silent tableau for a few minutes now. "Well? What is so wrong you require complete privacy to tell me?"

There was a note of fear in his voice, which unnerved Nora nearly completely. "I'm pregnant." she blurted out.

A/N - nope, haven't given up on Rescue. In fact, I actually have the next chapter and half written, just not typed. This was just bugging me until I wrote it.

I dont have internet access every day so updates to anything is sporadic.

well? should there be a next part or no? I already picked out the baby's name :)


	2. Chapter 2

After his initial shock, Miles had recovered very well from Nora's news. He'd nearly immediately escorted her to the medical faculty and ordered her things moved into his quarters.

He'd accepted the news so well, Nora was worried now that his enthusiam was fake because the Miles she knew wouldn't wanted a baby, especially in the midst of the second civil war. He'd spent most if not all of their relationship never committing to anything and suddenly, just because she was pregnant, he was? Something about it didn't sit right with her way of thinking. He was just too freakin' happy.

"Please do something." Charlie slipped into Nora's new quarters. "Miles is out there, smiling. It's terrifying."

Nora laughed. "Wish I could. I don't quite get it myself."

"He's happy, I guess." Charlie shrugged. "But does he have to be so damn flippin' terrifying while he's happy?"

"He used to be happy and a lot less terrifying, back when I first met him."

"Really? 'Cause I'm having a hard time picturing that."

"It's true."

Miles came in then and gave them both a smile. It was, Nora had to admit, a bit unnerving. "You're scaring Charlie. Quit smiling." she ordered him.

"I scare you, Charlie?" he asked, brows raised.

"No." she answered quickly and left the room, not wanting to get into it with him.

"Does she know?" he turned to Nora.

"She's not an idiot, Miles. She already guessed a while ago. Most of the base has."

"Oh. So, we don't need to make an annoucement or anything?"

"Nope. I wouldn't let you anyway."

"You wouldn't let me?" he echoed. "Since when?"

"I'm not going to put an annoucement on the bulletin board. It's my business, your business and no one else's." Nora paused. "Charlie has plans though."

"For an annoucement?" Miles sounded pleased.

"No. Baby plans, she's got a list of names already. I think it's helping take her mind off everything else. She needs some happiness."

"For a minute there, I thought you were going to say she had plans to have a baby with boy band face." he was very relieved that wasn't true. "I'd have to smash his face in if she did."

Nora couldn't give him an answer to that because she was laughing too hard.

"That wasn't funny." he remarked, irritated. "She is far too young to think about having a baby."

"You do realize she's twenty two, right?"

"A very good age for a baby sitter." he leaned in to kiss her. "I'm sure she'll like that. Babies are happy things, right?"

"Miles," Nora pushed him away. "Miles, I think we need to talk about our own plans."

"What plans? I moved you in here, didn't I?"

She gave him a look. "I was pretty much in here anyway. And that wasn't what I was talking about."

He sat down on the bed. "I'm not an idiot, either, you know."

"Then stop acting like one!"

"You want me to marry you?" he asked.

"Do you want to get married?" Nora bit back what she wanted to scream at him.

"Not really."

"Well, good, we're in agreement about something then."

"What do you want from me? I don't know what else to do." Hearing Miles sound nearly lost was just about the undoing for Nora, it was almost scarier then his unbrindled enthusism.

"I just think we need to talk about _us." _

A sudden knock on the door brought an abrupt stop to their talk, to Nora's disappointment. It was always something or someone interrupting them. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to get what needed to be said, actually said.

Miles tried to reassure her, "We'll talk tonight, okay?" he said as he went out the door. He always promised to talk, never did. Nora knew she should've remembered that about him, it had been part of the undoing of their first relationship. He didn't like to talk, rarely listened. Why hadn't she remembered?

After he left, she threw a shoe at the door. It made a satisfying smack.


	3. Chapter 3

It was late before Miles got back to their quarters. Nora had already gone to bed. He knew her well enough to know she was feigning sleep, so he started talking.

"I don't know anything about babies. I can't promise you anything because every time I make a promise someone ends up hurt or killed."

"I won't do this alone again." she finally said.

"Won't ask you to."

"You sure?"

"I will do my best."

Nora sighed. It was as good as it was going to get.

"Isn't this what you wanted? You, me, a baby?" he asked, gently.

"I _wanted_ it five years ago. You ran off, the baby died, I was alone. Suddenly, we have a second chance at it all, and you're all weird about it." she admitted.

He thought for a minute. "Maybe we weren't ready then."

"Miles." she said, patiently. "No one is ever ready for this."

"Fair enough."

"I named her Anna." Nora whispered.

"Who?" Understanding suddenly dawned on him. "Oh, the baby."

"She'd be four now. She already had dark hair," she continued.

"She'd be a pretty little girl." he said.

"If it weren't for the damn Blackout, Anna would have had a chance! That's why I didn't want another baby til this was all over!" Nora was angry now. "You're not going to listen or talk or anything, you never did!"

"Come here," he pulled her close to him. "I'm not going anywhere this time. This time will be different. I'll get whatever doctor you want, whatever you want, you got."

"You don't make promises."

"Well, this will be the second one I've managed to keep." Miles answered, hoping she wouldn't ask what the first was.

"It's a girl," the nurse exclaimed, handing the newborn to Miles.

His face looked blank as he accepted the baby. "Nora, I've been to war. That doesn't scare me as much as a little girl does. What if she grows up like Charlie?"

Nora took the baby from him. "Then we'll be lucky. Isn't she the most gorgeous baby?"

"Yes. The most gorgeous baby ever." He gently picked up the baby's hand. "She's tiny.

"Eight pounds isn't too little. She's healthy, the doctor said so. That's what matters." She leaned back against the pillows to take a good look at her daughter.

"Do we have a girl's name?"

"Not thanks to you."

"I don't see what is wrong with Miles Junior." he protested.

"Other then she's a girl?"

"Miley?"

"No child of mine is going to named that." she protested, kissing the baby. "Besides, I already have a name picked out."

He waited a moment. "Do i get to know what it is?" He sat down on the bed, waiting.

"Tallulah."

"Tallulah?"

"It's pretty!" she argued.

"I guess."

"You can call her Luey if you must."

"Luey Matheson." he tried it out.

"Tallulah Raye Matheson." Nora corrected.

"Raye?"

"Do you question everything?"

"Yes. How did we come up with Tallulah?" he still didn't look entirely pleased.

"Charlie came up with it."

"Of course she did." he grumbled. "Remind me to make sure she gets night patrol from now on.

"You don't like it?"

"What about something more normal, like Emily?"

"Since when are we normal?"

"True." he considered this. "Tallulah Raye Matheson."

Okay. Finished :) Actually, no, I'm already planning some little 'Lulah stories because Daddy Miles is just too much fun.

The name has no real story behind it, only that I think Nora would like pretty feminine names


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